Lycoris / Surprise Lilies

Fans of the exotic, take note. Bright colors, recurved petals and long, upswept stamen reminiscent of eyelashes give this flower a strikingly glamorous appearance. Unusual, yes. Diva, no. Lycoris plants naturalizes where happy and persists with little to no care. . . hardly the actions of a diva. Also known as hurricane lilies and magic lilies, these amaryllis relatives bloom in late summer, often bumped into action by seasonal rains. Hard to believe your August-September garden couldn't benefit from a few of these.